Congress declares to stand by Posco row

Bhubaneshwar, June 12: The Congress stood by Posco declaring that the party would oppose if the state government forcibly tries to acquire land for the $12 billion project.

Jagdish Tytler, Congress's Orissa in-charge said that the party wa shocked to see force being used to evict the locals. He said," We are with the people. CM (Naveen Patnaik) had said force won't be used to acquire land, but that's not happening. It's not proper to use force if the people don't want to give their land."

The Posco Pratirodh Sangram Samiti (PPSS) stir in the Jagatsinghpur coastal district is being handled by women and kids. They have formed a human barricade in Gobindpur and Dhinkia villages.

The Orissa government had already declared the assembly of agitators at the entry point to Dhinkia as unlawful after the farmers prevented the movement of police and administrative officials there. The Orissa government had directed the state police to hint action if the protesters continued to restrict the officials' movement. The women and the kids been lying on the sand at the Gobindpur border to prevent the officials' entry.

Former CPI MLA Narayan Reddy said," The government is trying every way to acquire the land. All this is government land and we need no consent from the people to acquire it. Yet, we have tried to be fair to everyone."